Friends with Benefits
by xobabygurlxo
Summary: After Kate's death, Tony strikes up a special relationship with her sister. Years later, see how the sister looks back on her time with Tony, and what it means for her future.  Hints of TATE. May even include hints of Tiva. Mainly Tony/OC
1. Therapy Session

Yes, I'm back with another AU story about Tony and Kate's sister! As always, there will be hints of TATE. But this story is a bit different, as you will find out.

Please read, share and of course, review! Tell me what you think, what you'd like to see..I'm always open to suggestions!

Thank you!

"So, you're saying that, over all, you think you handled your sister's death _well_?"

Kylie Todd rose her head. Well, that was an interesting question; one that she hadn't really considered before. Of course, it was such a shrink-y thing to ask. _Had_ she handled it well? She thought so. Why would this shrink think she hadn't?

"Of course I do," Kylie finally answered. "Do I miss her? Sure. Are there regrets? Well, everyone has them. But I think I developed a mature reaction."

Dr. Rachel Cranston raised an eyebrow. "Mature?" she asked. "You think what happened in the past six years is mature?" She tried to keep the judgment out of her voice – it wasn't professional – but she couldn't help it. This woman was infuriating. The two of them had been sitting in the NCIS conference room for two hours and that was the first time Kylie had spoken in full sentences.

"Yes," Kylie answered. "On paper it doesn't sound that great, but when played out, it worked."

The two women sat there for a beat. Dr. Cranston tapped her pen on her notepad, thinking of her next plan of attack. "OK," she finally said, placing the pen down on the table and folding her hands together. "Tell me exactly what happened that lead you here."

Kylie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She assumed this quack already knew how she was forced into this, especially since she had complained about it at least seven times since she sat down. "I told you. When you came to evaluate the NCIS team, I got suckered into the same treatment since _technically_ I have been an NCIS associate and Director Vance hates me."

Dr. Cranston smiled. "No. I don't mean here as in this session, I mean here as in this part of your life."

"There's nothing wrong with my life. My life is amazing, thank you."

"You're afraid to be alone."

"Isn't everyone?"

"I mean for the rest of your life. You have meaningless relationships that don't have a chance of lasting in fear that you'll get rejected and left behind. However, as long as you keep up this pattern, you will _always_ be alone. Your life will never be truly amazing, until you find someone to share it with."

Kylie sat there silently. How dare this therapist say that to her? Why should some degree from some school give her the right to judge how Kylie spends her life?

"That is terrific analysis doctor. Truly, it is. Can I go now?" Kylie started to gather her purse and coat together. She stood up and the doctor snapped.

"Miss Todd, sit back down. We are not done here."

Kylie looked at the doctor, willing her to try something. She didn't make a move; but neither did Kylie. "Fine. What will it take to get me out that door and home?"

Dr. Cranston smiled. "Tell me about your long and complicated relationship with Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

A/N: So yes, Kylie and Tony had a very _complicated_ relationship. You'll find out soon enough exactly what that entailed. I'll be attempting this story to be like a series of snapshots throughout Kylie's life after Kate's death. Please review!


	2. That Night at the Bar

Note: These may not all be in chronological order since, after all, when you tell a story, you're more likely to end up skipping around then telling everything straight through.

**Day of Kate's funeral**_**….**_

The funeral was over. It had been a bright, sunny day which, in retrospect, did not seem fair. It should've been gray and cold; more like how he felt. The team wouldn't be flying back to DC until the next day so, in the spirit of the day, Tony went to a bar to have a drink – or six.

Sitting at the bar, nursing a whiskey neat, Tony started to think – really _think_ – about what had just happened. Things were never going to be the same. It wasn't just about work, although that was a big part of it. He'd have to look across at that empty desk, or even worse, at someone _else_ sitting at _her _desk, every day until he retired. What if he never gets over it? What if it gets to be too much? Kate wasn't just a colleague. She was a partner, a friend; a _best_ friend. And he never told her how much she meant to him.

He was on his second whiskey, thoughts circling like vultures in his brain, when a strangely familiar looking brunette waltzed up to the boor and ordered the same drink he had. She was dressed from head to toe in black, and it was obvious she had, at one point, been crying. Her makeup had been re-touched, but the hints of red eye and puffiness still existed. She looked sad. She looked gorgeous. She looked…like someone he knew.

"Excuse me," he said gently, not wanting to startle her. "Aren't you Kylie? Kate Todd's sister?"

The woman looked at him. She squinted her eyes slightly, as if trying to place him. They then widened again when she realized this man was in fact familiar. "Yes. Umm, Tony right? Kate's partner at your agency?"

"NCIS. Yeah, that's me. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Kylie nodded. She had heard that a lot recently. "Your loss too, I suspect. Kate talked a lot about you."

Tony looked surprised. "She did? What did she say?"

"That she worked with an egotistical, sexually obsessed man with no morals and/or dignity."

Tony looked startled. Then slightly smiled. "That sounds like Kate."

Kylie got her drink, sipped it, and set it back down. "So, when do you go back to DC? Tonight?"

Tony shook his head. "No. Tomorrow. Are you going back to Miami?"

"Actually, I was considering moving to DC."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Well, someone has to clean out Kate's apartment and I figured it was time I got a new change of scenery anyways. Miami is great and all, but, I miss being able to wear gloves," Kylie said.

Tony smiled slightly. "You'll get plenty of that in DC, that's for sure."

"You really cared for my sister, didn't you?"

Tony was silent for a minute. He barely knew this woman, and yet, he was going to divulge his most secret of secret feelings to her? Well, it sure seemed to be going in that direction. "Yeah. I did. She was my best friend, and I never told her."

"I'm sure she knew. Kate was very good at reading people. I was never able to get away with anything when we were younger. She'd always tell when I was lying. Of course, then she would go and tell my parents which would never end up well for me but… That's what sisters are for, I guess."

Tony finished his whiskey and, instead of ordering a third, paid his tab and also paid for Kylie's drink. "It was lovely talking to you, Kylie," he said. "If and when you move to DC, give me a call. I know it can be hard to move to a new city when you don't know anyone." Tony wrote his name and phone number on a cocktail napkin, and watched her look at it before she slipped it in her purse.

"Thank you, Tony," she said. "I'm sure we will get along famously. _Salute_." Kylie finished her drink, and ordered another.

Tony watched as she turned around, staring blankly into the mirror behind the bar. She looked so lost and scared. He knew that feeling. He had been there before. So, instead of leaving, which he probably should have…he sat down, and ordered another whiskey. And the two of them sat in silence for the next two rounds.


	3. First Night Together

For the sake of the story, let's pretend _A Man Walks Into a Bar_ did not happen… Even though that was one of the best episodes of the whole series.

**6 months after the funeral**

"So, I've got some bad news. Al's was closed, so I had to pick up from his similar but not quite as good rival, Sal's. Is that OK? Because I can always throw this out and get Chinese."

Tony was greeted with silence as he entered the apartment. He tossed his keys into the red Mosaic bowl on the small, brown table by the front door, and placed Sal's pizza on the kitchen counter top. He shrugged his coat off and placed it on the coat rack in the foyer. "Hello?" he called. "Is anyone home?"

Tony heard the sound of a door opening, and smiled as Kylie Todd walked out into the living room, pushing a chandelier earring through her right earlobe. "Hey," Tony said. "Started to think you weren't here. _You_ look nice."

Kylie smiled. "Thank you. Do you think this dress is too flashy? Should I change? I have a blue one that's a little less, I don't know, leggy? Do you want to see it? Or is this OK?"

Tony shook his head while she blabbered on. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Stop. Take a breath," he said. "Now, what are you talking about?"

Kylie sighed. "I have a kind-of date tonight, and I'm nervous. I haven't been on an actual date in a long time."

"Well," Tony started, letting his hands slide from her shoulders down her arms to her wrists. "I don't know anything about dating men, but I'm pretty sure any man would be crazy not to like you."

"Thank you. That was nice of you to say."

Tony nodded and walked back toward the front door.

"Oh," Kylie said, realizing why he was there. "We were supposed to have dinner tonight. I'm so sorry, I forgot all about it. Would you be mad at me if we postponed?"

"Not at all," Tony said. "We can do it some other time. Have fun on your date." He smiled as she walked him over to the door.

"Tomorrow night, Tony, I promise. And maybe we can skip Sal and Al and go straight to Domino's."

Tony laughed. "That's not as good as Al, but it _is_ better than Sal, so OK. Deal." Tony slipped his coat on and kissed Kylie on the cheek before leaving with his keys and pizza box.

It was a little over three hours later, and Tony was sitting in his apartment – alone, still dressed in his work clothes, and full of questionable second-rate pizza. He was lounging on his couch, sleeves rolled up, shoes off, watching a movie that was just as bad as the pizza he just ate.

Just as he was thinking it was time to give up and go to bed, there was a quiet knock on his door. It was so quiet, he would've taken it to be the wind – if there was any wind that night. Unsure of what or who it was, Tony slowly got up and reached for his gun. The quiet knock came again, and Tony slid his finger closer to the trigger. He moved to the door and looked out the peephole. Once he saw who it was, he quickly dropped his gun on the side table and flung the door open.

"Kylie? What the hell happened?"

She stood in his doorway, shivering from head to toe, the bottom of her dressed ripped slightly, a small bruise on her cheek, hair a mess, and one of her shoes had the heel broken off. Tony instantly widened his door, wrapped an arm around her and helped her inside. He kicked his door closed, and started rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her up.

"It's OK," he said. "It'll be fine. I'm going to just get you a sweatshirt and some pants, all right? Just sit here." He gently placed her on the couch, wrapped a throw blanket that was on the nearest chair around her shoulders and rushed off to his bedroom.

He grabbed the nearest sweatshirt, which happened to be his favorite one from Ohio State, and some sweatpants from his bottom drawer. Once he returned to his living room, Kylie hadn't moved an inch. She was in the exact same pose he left her in, except he could now see that she was crying. Tony ran to her, took the blanket off and helped her put the sweatshirt on. Once it was on, he took off her shoes and helped put the sweatpants on, underneath her dress, without once looking at anything inappropriate. First time he had ever done _that_.

"Are you OK? Are you warming up? Want something…water? Or anything?" Still no response. "Kylie, please talk to me. Say something, anything."

Tony wrapped his arms around her again, rubbing her arms to try and warm her up. She sniffed, and wiped away some tears. "He attacked me," she said.

"Who?" Tony asked, his voice as cold as stone.

"My date. Dinner was not going well, so I decided to fake sick and go home. I got to my car and he had followed me. He threw me against the car and…" Kylie didn't continue. Tony wasn't sure he wanted her to. "He got distracted by a car pulling in the lot, and when he let go I pushed him and jumped in my car. I locked the doors before he got up, and drove off. I was afraid of him going to my apartment so I came here. I'm sorry."

Tony shook his head. "Don't _ever_ be sorry," he said, and stopped rubbing her arms. "Did you call the police? Make a report?"

"No, I just came straight here. I stood out in the hallway for ten minutes before I got the nerve to knock. I wasn't sure if you'd be alone and I didn't want to interrupt your night, and…"

"Stop," Tony interrupted her. "If you're hurt, I would hope you'd always come to me. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I will come for you. OK? Now when you feel up to it I think you should go down and file a report."

"Tony, no, please don't make me. I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"I'm scared! Please don't make me. Please!" Kylie grabbed onto Tony's shirt, and started crying again. Tony sighed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her as she cried some more.

"OK," he said. "You don't have to. I won't make you."

Kylie pulled back slightly, smiled, and thanked him. She promised to file a report at some point, just not right away. For the next half hour, the two just sat on the couch, holding onto each other and finding comfort in the soft lull of the television. Tony asked repeatedly for Kylie to tell him the man's name, but she refused. She knew what Tony would do – or worse, what Gibbs would do – and she didn't want to cause that kind of trouble.

A few minutes after that, Kylie pulled away for good. "I guess I should go home. He's probably forgotten all about me by now."

Tony shook his head. "No, you're staying here. I don't want to risk you going home and seeing him. Tomorrow I will go with you and check your place, OK?"

Kylie nodded and agreed. She looked at Tony, and was deeply touched by the genuine concern she got from reading his face. "Thank you for everything, Tony. I really appreciate it." She moved forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. The kiss lingered for a moment, and when she finally did pull away, he didn't let her move far. He held her in place, searched her eyes for some kind of confirmation, and went in to kiss her on the lips.

Her lips were soft, and she tasted of honey lip balm and salt- probably from her tears, which made kissing her slightly strange. But he didn't stop, and neither did she. Kylie ran her hands through Tony's hair, and playfully tugged at it when he deepened the kiss. He smiled through the kiss, and ran his hands under the sweatshirt and up her exposed back. He detached his lips from hers, and found a new spot along her jaw line. He moved his mouth down to her neck, where he rolled his tongue around and smiled when he heard her groan.

"Take the sweatshirt off," Kylie said in his ear.

The sound of her voice snapped Tony back to reality. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "We should stop. This shouldn't happen. I mean, not that I'm upset that its happening whatever it is, but you're upset, and I don't want to take advantage…and…"

"Tony," she said, placing her hands on both sides of his face. "I trust you. It is not taking advantage if I want it too. So shut up, and take my clothes off."

Tony didn't need to be told twice. The next morning, their relationship changed.


	4. Two Week Stretch

**Two weeks after that first night….**

Tony was putting the last touches on his case report. One he finished this paragraph, all he had to do was print it, sign it and ship it up to the director. Then he was free for the night – the first night in three days that he could spend at home and not the office. McGee and Ziva had just left, and Gibbs was talking to the director. A smile broke out on Tony's face at the thought of going home to an actual bed, and not just a cleared space on the floor. He did a little dance in his seat as he hit the print button, and got his pen ready for signage.

Just as Tony was putting his report in a folder for the director, his cell phone buzzed. Looking down he saw a text message from Kylie. It was a simple one too.

**Busy tonight?**

Tony smiled, knowing what would be coming after his response.

**Nope.**

Shutting down his computer and looking for his keys, his cell buzzed again.

**Your place. Be there soon.**

Tony typed back an OK, and whistled a little Sinatra tune as he jumped up the stairs to hand the director's secretary his report. He wished her a good night, and practically flew out of the office before he could be called back.

He broke just about every speed limit to get home quickly, knowing Kylie was probably already there. Pulling in his parking lot, he realized he was correct. Kylie's black Honda was sitting in the spot next to his, and his living room light was on. Looking in his rearview mirror, Tony ran his hands through his hair quick, trying to make it more presentable. He then checked his teeth, his breath, and buttoned and unbuttoned his shirt, all in that order. Finally deciding his appearance was acceptable, he maneuvered out of his car, locked it, and walked confidently to the main door.

Tony let himself into his apartment and put his bag down and his gun off his shoulder holster, and turned to the living room. Whatever he was about to say next got caught in his throat as he looked at the sight in front of him.

Kylie was lying on his chaise lounge, wearing a black bra and panties set, black silk robe, and black heels. Her hair was slightly tousled and her nails were painted red. She smiled at him, and asked, "Like what you see?"

Gathering his breath, Tony replied, "It's the best thing I've seen all week. You didn't have to get all dressed up for me."

Kylie laughed. "No trouble at all," she said.

Tony was glad he wore a regular shirt today and not a jacket and tie – too much clothing. He sat down at the end of the lounge and ran his hands up her legs. She rolled her head back, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. It had been too long and she said so.

"I hate when you have long cases," she said. "I get so bored by myself."

Tony couldn't breathe. He was sure this girl would give him a heart attack. Her sister had never been like this – at least, not to Tony.

"Sorry to disappoint," he said. "Next time I'll make sure the storage room is free and you can come visit." He winked at her slightly, and stopped rubbing her legs so that he could take his shoes off.

"This chair is lovely and all, but I think your bed is better. You must have missed it," Kylie said.

"Oh, I did. I missed you too." Tony leaned in for a kiss, and Kylie moved in before pulling away at the last second. She smirked at him and walked into his bedroom, dropping the robe as she went. Tony practically ripped his shirt off in anticipation and began unbuckling his belt as he ran into the bedroom.

A couple hours later, Tony and Kylie lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

"That was fun," Kylie said, a big smile on her face. "Thanks for that."

Tony nodded. "My pleasure. Thanks for showing up like you did."

Kylie laughed slightly. "_My _pleasure. The look on your face alone was priceless, I almost wish I had a camera."

"Yeah, I'm sure the look of pure want and shock mixed together is real attractive."

"It was perfect," she said, quietly. She knew their arrangement, and did not plan on getting too close. This talk alone was cutting it close to the boundaries they had set up two weeks prior. She cleared her throat and got out of the bed.

"Leaving already?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's the deal right? Sex whenever we want with no strings attached. No chance for jealousy or a future – just the here and now."

"Yep, that's the deal. Friends with benefits, that's us."

Kylie smiled as she found the shirt she had earlier discarded and slipped it on. She looked around the room for her pants while Tony lay in bed looking at her. There was a strange feeling of awkwardness in the room as Kylie dressed and prepared to leave. They knew what their relationship – or lack of relationship – was, and neither had questioned it that morning two weeks ago when they set up the rules for their new situation. They had just gone five days without seeing each other, and they missed the other. This wasn't a good start for their "no closeness" rules, but neither had the guts to end it. It had only been two weeks – soon enough, Kylie was sure she would get annoyed with him and end up just using him like they both had secretly planned.

"Well," she said, clearing her throat. "I will see you later."

She started to leave when Tony called her back. "This doesn't have to be awkward," he said. "I couldn't stand having this sinking feeling every time we leave each other."

"So what are you suggesting? A real relationship? I think we both know we aren't ready for that."

"No, no," Tony said. "Why can't we be friends who have sex, but also have fun? You know like, instead of restricting ourselves to sex, we could hang out, have dinner, and sometimes also have sex."

Kylie stared at him. "That's dating," she said. "That's like, the definition of dating – where have you been?"

Tony sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't do this. This has disaster written all over it."

Kylie looked at the ground. She didn't want this to end. This was good – _he _was good. She had to salvage this. "OK, look. I promise not to make this awkward if you do. We can be friends who occasionally have sex. I promise not to be overly affectionate and calling and missing you, if you promise to do the same. We have to keep doing this. I like this. And I know you do too."

Tony smiled. "I do too. OK, so that's it. Back to before. We are…sex friends. Sex-y friends."

"Sexy friends. OK, I like it." Kylie leaned forward and kissed Tony goodbye one more time. "Good night, friend."

"Sleep tight, friend," Tony replied, and watched Kylie leave. As soon as he heard his front door close, he said to himself, "She is the best friend I ever had."


	5. Surprise Visitor

**Six months later…**

Six months after that night, things were very smooth between Kylie and Tony. They were able to get together at least twice a week with no talk of the future or any kind of commitment. Tony could not have dreamed of a better situation.

Of course, it was inevitable that a problem would arise.

That problem came in the form of one Lieutenant Commander Alex Caldwell.

Kylie was on her way out to meet a friend for lunch when her cell phone rang. It was an unknown number, but she answered anyway. The voice on the other end was an unexpected one.

"What is a pretty girl like you doing in a bad city like D.C.?"

Kylie was sure she stopped breathing. All of a sudden the butterflies in her stomach started flapping their wings, and she felt severely light headed.

"Alex? What, um…how did you find me?"

"I'm a SEAL. I can find anyone."

Kylie smiled and relaxed. She slowly sat down on her couch and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little surprised. How are you? _Where_ are you?"

"I'm in D.C.," Alex said. "I have two week leave time, and when I heard you had moved here I knew exactly where I should be."

"Sweet talker," Kylie said. Alex laughed. "OK, who told you I was here?"

"Your friend Eva, from Miami? I went to our old place and I ran into her. She told me you had moved. So, here I am. And I want to see you."

"All your SEAL training and you couldn't find my address?"

"Actually…"

Then there was a knock at the door. Kylie smiled and practically ran to the door and flung it open.

Alex was standing on the other side, in full naval uniform. His tall, broad frame loomed in her doorway. He had his cell phone in one hand, and a duffel bag by his feet. "I was kind of hoping you'd know of a place I could stay."

Kylie smiled, and dragged him into her place by his collar – kissing him as she did.

Later that night, Kylie was lounging in bed as Alex took a shower. She told him she would set his clothes up somewhere to make him feel more at home, but she had yet to do so. In all honesty, she was tired after such a busy afternoon.

_I'll just have to find other ways to make him feel at home_, she thought to herself.

Kylie lay in bed, thinking of Alex, when her cell phone rang. She looked at it and saw TONY flash across the screen. Crap.

"Hey there," Tony's voice drifted across the other line. "What are you up to tonight?"

Double crap.

"Hi Tony. I'm just hanging around, I don't feel too well," Kylie said, trying to sound like she might actually be sick.

"Oh, well that's too bad. I was hoping to get to see you tonight."

Just as he said that, Kylie heard the shower turn off. _Of course_, she thought.

"I'm really sorry. Next time, OK?"

"Sure," Tony replied. He hesitated a minute, then lowered his voice. "Are you all right? I can come by and take care of you, if you want."

Kylie heard the shower curtain closing, and knew Alex would be out soon. "Tony, really, I'm fine. It's just some congestion that's been going around at work. No need to worry yourself. I got to go, OK? I'm going to make some soup and lie down."

"Yeah, sure. Call me if you need anything."

The bathroom door was opening and Kylie could hear Alex walking down the hallway. "Yep, I will. Bye."

She hung up quickly, and threw her phone back on her nightstand. Alex came into the bedroom wearing just a towel around his waist.

"Were you talking to someone?" he asked.

Kylie shook her head. "Nope. Just singing to myself. How was your shower?"

"Lonely," he said, smiling. She forgot what a great smile he had; she hadn't seen it in a while. For a second, Tony's smile came into her head. The two smiles were ultimately the same. Both could be considered "charm smiles," and both had many meanings. Tony had different smiles for different moods, as did Alex. But Tony smiled a lot more than Alex did. Alex only really smiled when he was flirting with her or teasing someone else.

"I see my clothes are where I left them," Alex said, breaking Kylie out of her mental distractions.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry about that. Apparently I'm more tired than I thought."

"That's reasonable. You had a busy afternoon," he remarked, smiling again.

Kylie smiled slightly and looked down. She felt guilty about lying to Tony, and wasn't sure why. They weren't in a relationship. They knew they could come and go as they pleased. But they never really said it out loud, so maybe it wasn't real. This no-strings attachment was really confusing, and her kind of boyfriend Alex standing in her bedroom was not helping.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said.

"Sure, anything."

"Are we exclusive?"

Alex chuckled. "Well, what do you mean by exclusive? Is there something I don't know?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm just wondering if…" she trailed off, not sure how to ask what she wanted to ask.

Alex sensed her trouble. "If what?"

"If I'm supposed to be…waiting for you."

"Waiting for me to do what?"

Kylie inwardly sighed. Alex was a tactical genius when it came to the navy and hunting down terror threats to his country; but when it came to normal human relationships, he was clueless.

"To come home. Permanently."

"I get it," Alex said. He sighed and looked at her, giving her the look he usually gives interrogation suspects. "Is there someone else?"

_Kind of._ "No," Kylie said. Alex didn't believe her. He was a master of interrogation after all. "Nobody to be concerned about."

"Kylie, if you're dating someone…"

"I'm not! I swear. It's just…I don't want to be not dating someone forever. You know?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I know how hard it's been on you, and I'm sorry. I don't want to leave the navy, but I don't want to lose you either. I like knowing that someone out there cares about me."

"I do care. A lot. I shouldn't have said anything. Let's just forget I ever opened my big mouth and go back to the way things were." Kylie scooted over to where Alex was sitting. She ran her hands down his chest, and kissed him thoroughly.

"Sounds good to me," Alex said, kissing her again.

Kylie's plan was simple. Avoid Tony until Alex leaves, and avoid having to tell him about the sailor that was currently occupying her bedroom. Of course, two weeks was a long time and she couldn't be sick forever.

Coming up with excuses was the hardest part. Every time she lied to Tony, she felt pangs of guilt that only went away with a Hershey bar or a glass of wine. Thankfully, Alex only had a week left in D.C. before his leave was up. Once he was gone, life would go back to normal and no one would know the difference.

It was Saturday afternoon and Kylie was lying on her couch reading a magazine. Alex went out that morning for a meeting, and he was supposed to be back any minute. Kylie kept looking at her watch every time she flipped a page. Any minute and he'll be back.

Just as she thought it, there was a knock at her door. Smiling, Kylie got up and went to the door expecting to see Alex standing there.

Instead, it was Tony.

And Gibbs.

"Oh, hey. What's going on?" Kylie asked.

Never one for small talk, Gibbs jumped right in. "Do you know a Lieutenant Commander Alexander Caldwell?"

Kylie's stomach flip-flopped. Nerves instantly set in, and Kylie could feel her legs start to go numb. This can't be good, not when Gibbs has his death glare on and Tony couldn't look her in the eye.

"Yes," she said quietly, too nervous to actually admit it. "Is he... Is he OK?"

"He's fine. Can we come in? Just have a few questions for you."

Kylie nodded and opened the door to let Gibbs and Tony inside. When Tony passed, she tried to catch his eye but he kept his eyes forward and decided to focus on a Jack Vettriano painting on the wall.

"Kylie, what is your relationship with Commander Caldwell?" Gibbs asked. Tony stood behind Gibbs, and looked directly into her eyes with an intensity she had never seen before.

Kylie didn't back down. "We've dated, on-and-off for about three years. I met him while I was on vacation in New York; it was fleet week. Ever since then, anytime he was on leave – which is about once or twice a year – we got together. He visited me in Miami, and I even tried to fly out to San Diego one time. But, that trip never happened."

"Why is that?" Gibbs asked.

Kylie looked him straight in the eye and coldly said, "Because I got a phone call from my mother saying my older sister was dead."

A cold chill went through the room, and no one spoke for a few seconds. Gibbs softened a bit, and quietly said to her, "Alex is in trouble. That's why he is in D.C. I don't know what he told you, but he is being accused of some very serious crimes. He told us you know the most about him than anyone else in town, so that is why we're here. He didn't want us to tell you, but it is our job."

Kylie couldn't breathe. She could have sworn her heart skipped a few beats, and she couldn't focus. Fainting seemed like a possibility, and she saw Tony instinctively move toward her to catch her in case she did. "I'm OK," she said to him. She took a deep breath, and decided she would not let this affect her. She would be strong. "What did he do?"

Gibbs was concerned, she could see that. He didn't want to tell her, to worry her. She had to hear it. "He's been accused of murdering an unarmed man and also selling military secrets."

The breath Kylie couldn't catch earlier came out in one rush. Selling secrets? Murder? That did not sound like the Alex she knew. But then again, did she really know him? Some trips here and there a few times a year does not make a relationship. She couldn't be sure she knew anything more than his name. "What do you want from me?"

"Did Alex ever do anything suspicious while you were together? Did he take a lot of phone calls? Spend a lot of time on the Internet?"

Kylie shook her head. "No, nothing like that. He was perfectly normal. And I know this may not mean much, but I know Alex. He loves his country more than anything and is a proud SEAL. There is no way he is doing what you think he's done."

"We think he's being set up," Tony said, speaking for the first time. Gibbs glanced at him like he didn't want Tony to reveal this information so quickly. Tony didn't care. "We want to help him, Kylie, so if there is anything at all you can tell us, please do so."

Kylie ran her hand through her hair. She'd tell them anything if she could. She was just having a hard time remembering anything. Even the past week seemed blurry, like she couldn't totally remember what they had done together. _Had_ he been suspicious? She never thought so at the time. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "He never acted strangely around me. I never heard him mention any names or problems or anything. The only SEAL buddy I ever met was his friend Matt Hunter. I don't even know what rank he is. Alex called him 'Hunt.'"

"OK, this is good. Thank you. If you think of anything, call us," Gibbs said. He gave her a quick kiss on the temple and walked out, telling DiNozzo he'd be in the car.

Kylie and Tony stood there facing each other. She started to talk, to explain her relationship with Alex and everything else, but Tony cut her off. "No need to explain," he said. "I'll help your friend, and we can see where we are after he leaves."

Kylie closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears that were starting to form. "I'm sorry," she said, not able to think of anything else to say.

Tony shrugged. "Don't be sorry. I'm not." He walked over to the door and just before he left said, "I think he's innocent, I really do. But I still don't like the guy."

And with that, he was gone.

A/N: Alex is a fun character for me, because he is the guy that always shows up when you don't want him to. I think Kylie and Alex care for each other, but Kylie and Tony have started caring a little too much as well. What are your thoughts on Alex? Interested? Not? Let me know!


	6. When a Door Closesa Window Opens

For the first time since moving to D.C., Kylie was stepping foot into NCIS headquarters. She walked up to the metal detectors and straightened her skirt. Even though she would never admit it, she was a little nervous. This was a federal building that had actual agents in it. Agents with guns and licenses to kill – or something like that.

Taking a deep breath, she gave her purse to the security guard and walked through the detector. No alarms went off, so she breathed a sigh of relief. The guard smiled at her, and handed her a visitors pass as well as her purse. She thanked him, and walked briskly to the elevator.

_Act like you belong, and no one questions it_, she thought to herself.

She rode up to the floor Gibbs had told her to and almost jumped when the elevator dinged. The doors opened, and she was almost blinded by the skylights and bright orange wallpaper. Not a great color – for anything.

She looked to her left, hoping to see anyone familiar, and scanned the room. Her head stopped when she spotted McGee and Ziva on her right. She took another deep breath, adjusted her purse on her shoulder, and walked over to where McGee and Ziva stood.

"Hi guys," she greeted.

The two agents turned around and smiled when they saw her. She asked where Gibbs and Tony were, and they looked at each other before answering.

"They are in MTAC," McGee answered. "They'll be down soon."

"You can just sit at Tony's desk," Ziva said. "Can I get you some water or anything?"

"No, but thank you."

McGee and Ziva nodded and went back to work. They talked quietly among themselves, while Kylie looked around Tony's desk. She picked up a Mighty Mouse stapler and smiled – it was so Tony.

She was just dying to look through the drawers, but she resisted the urge. There were probably top-secret documents in there that she, as a civilian, shouldn't see.

She wheeled around a little in the chair, and just as she was about to pull out her phone to play Tetris, she heard her name being called and footsteps on the stairs behind her. She instantly stood up and turned to face Gibbs, Tony and a red-haired woman walking down the stairs.

She walked over to greet them, and shook hands with the woman. "Hi, I'm Jenny Shepard, the director of NCIS," she said.

"Oh, Director Shepard, yes, I'm so pleased to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about you," Kylie said, not willing to admit to the gossip she had heard from both Tony and Abby about the strikingly gorgeous woman in front of her.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Todd. I'm so sorry for having to drag you in here on a Sunday, but I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important," Jenny responded.

"Of course, it's not a problem at all," Kylie said. "And, may I just add, that blouse is beautiful on you. Chanel?"

Jenny smiled. "Prada, actually, but thank you. If you'll follow me, Commander Caldwell is waiting in the conference room upstairs."

Jenny and Gibbs led the way up the stairs, with Kylie following and Tony bringing up the rear. As they turned the corner, Tony brushed his hand against Kylie's lower back, silently sending her comfort.

When they entered the conference room, Alex sat in full naval uniform. He looked tired and worn out – after 24 hours of interrogation and little to no sleep, this wasn't surprising. Kylie was confused as to how she should feel as she looked at her sometimes boyfriend. Happy that he was OK, or upset that he had lied to her? Either way, she smiled briefly at him and greeted him warmly.

"Are you OK?" he asked her. She almost laughed.

"I'm fine. Are you?" Alex nodded.

"Usually we wouldn't do something so unorthodox, but this is of utmost importance and two heads are better than one," Jenny explained. "So, let's get started."

Three hours later, Kylie was gearing up to leave NCIS. They had gone through all the evidence of Alex's case, and Gibbs and Tony were sure they had a strong lead – back to Alex's friend, Matt Hunter.

After a quick debate, Jenny and Gibbs agreed to let Alex go. As soon as they caught Matt Hunter, Alex would be able to go back to active duty with no reparations to his record. As soon as the little conference was over, Gibbs and Tony ran out to gather all they could on Hunter, while Alex went to gather some of his belongings from downstairs.

Kylie was gathering up her own belongings and was about to leave the conference room when Jenny stopped her.

"Do you have a minute? I'd like to talk, just us if that's OK," she said.

Kylie nodded. "Sure, Director. What would you like to talk about?"

"Have a seat. First of all, please call me Jenny. Secondly, I'd like to ask you a somewhat personal question."

"Of course," Kylie said.

"I heard that you may have some contacts in the criminal world, is that true? And, trust that I won't be turning you in if you answer honestly."

Kylie paused for a moment. She liked Jenny and trusted her, so she felt she could answer honestly. "Yes, it's true. I moved to Miami because I fell in love with a man who turned out to be more of a dark knight than a prince charming. I was young and naïve, and in the process met some very shady people. They weren't dangerous, they just enjoyed a certain kind of lifestyle."

Jenny nodded silently as Kylie revealed things she had never told a single soul. She wasn't sure if it was her kind eyes or sympathetic smile, but Kylie felt a connection to Jenny that she hadn't to anyone besides Kate.

"I never did anything criminal myself Direc – Jenny. I never knew what exactly they did and I certainly never asked. In the end, I got lucky because the man I was seeing left me for another woman and the two moved overseas. After that, all of his contacts left me alone. A couple of months after that I went to New York and met Alex. I've been living a safe and clean life since. Is there a reason you asked me this, and a reason I just spilled my guts to a complete stranger?"

Jenny smiled. "Well, I don't know about the spilling your guts part, but I am asking because hypothetically if I were to ask you to contact some of these people in the future, would you be willing to do so?"

Kylie hesitated. She hadn't thought of this part of her life in a long time, and the idea of speaking to some of them again seemed like going back in time. Jenny sensed her hesitation.

"Just so you know, you would be known simply as an NCIS associate and no one but me will ever know what you were doing. You would, of course, be paid accordingly."

Kylie bit her bottom lip, and tried to do some fast thinking. She thought of some of the men she had left behind, and almost smiled at the thought of talking with them again. They were scum, of course, but they had always treated her with kindness and respect. It might be interesting. It might be fun.

"I'll do it," she said. "On the condition that no one knows but the two of us, especially not Gibbs or Tony." That was the last thing Kylie needed. Tony would freak out if he knew any of this.

"Of course," Jenny said. "And, I will give you a permanent pass to NCIS, since you will be visiting here more than you thought when you entered today." She pulled out a document, and filled it out. "Just sign the bottom, and I will have Cynthia mail you your new pass when it is ready."

Kylie signed it, and shook Jenny's hand. "Director Shepard, I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Later that night, Kylie lay on the couch watching a TV movie while Alex packed in the other room. They had gotten a call earlier from Tony saying he and Gibbs caught Matt Hunter, and that Alex's presence was requested back on his ship. Alex had apologized profusely to Kylie, and she had forgiven him. It wasn't his fault he had bad taste in friends – she knew something about that.

Alex suddenly made his appearance in the living room. He stood by the doorframe, with his back against it and his hands in his pockets. "I don't know protocol here," he said. Kylie put the TV on mute, and turned to look at him. "Can I call you? Or, visit you again?"

Kylie smiled. "You can call, and visit. But, I've been thinking too."

Knowing this was coming, Alex nodded and sat down beside her on the couch. She leaned over and kissed him sweetly, pulling back with tears in her eyes. Yes, Alex knew what was coming.

"We can't see each other anymore," Kylie said. "I can't put my life on hold waiting for you to retire, or worse. I want us both to move on, but I'd still like to be your friend. I care about you a lot."

"You know I care about you too," he answered. "But I agree. I can't be responsible for your call waiting lifestyle, and I do want you to be happy. So, I'm going to go back to the ship right now. We leave first thing in the morning."

Kylie nodded. "Can I at least drive you there?"

"I'd like that," Alex said. He leaned in and wiped a stray tear from her cheek, before quickly kissing it. "Let's go. And I want to talk to you about that guy Tony."

An hour later, after a few tears and a long hug goodbye, Kylie was standing outside Tony's apartment, softly knocking. A few fears ran through her mind. What if he wasn't home? Or worse, what if he was home, just not alone? What would she say?

Before she could come up with an answer, the door opened and Tony stood there, wearing sweatpants and an NCIS T-Shirt. He didn't smile or acknowledge her – just opened the door to allow her to walk in.

"I came to explain, and apologize," she said rather quickly. "And apologize again and again."

"Stop," Tony said. "There's no need to apologize. You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend and I didn't tell you I hate pears, so I guess we're even."

"Don't be like that, I hate that. Don't tell me not to apologize, but then keep making side remarks and treating me like crap forever."

"Not like crap, I wouldn't do that. We're just sexy friends, right? None of my business."

Tony started to walk away, and Kylie stopped him. "What did you say to Alex?" Tony froze where he stood. "Before I got there today, he said you spoke to him and he didn't like you. What did you say?"

Tony smiled. "I said that he should've been honest, and that if I heard he wasn't I'd come after him. Because believe it or not, Kylie, there are people here who actually give a damn about you."

"Are you one of them?"

"One of them, what?"

"One of the people who give a damn about me. Because some days you act like it, and some days you don't, and I know we aren't supposed to get attached but I can't help myself. I genuinely like you, Tony. And if that makes you uncomfortable I don't care."

"I do care about you," he said. "And I don't say that to a lot of people. In fact, I don't really say that to anyone."

Kylie could tell he was getting choked up. Tony didn't reveal his true feelings often, and when he did you pretty much had to engrave the moment in your mind since you were never sure when the opportunity would present itself again.

"So, what next?" she asked. "Can we go back to the way things were?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't think that's possible. These six months have been great, Kylie, but I can't be in this kind of situation with you. With any other girl, yes. Any other meaningless, nothing special girl, I can have this. With you, there is no way. But I think we both know we aren't ready for a real relationship."

"So then what? We just go on and act as if nothing has happened? Say 'hi' to each other at Starbucks, and pretend like the other doesn't exist?"

"Maybe that would be easier," he said. "I don't know."

Kylie sighed. "Wow. Two days ago I had two guys I could count on, and now I have none."

"Caldwell is gone?"

"Yeah, and he dumped me too."

"I'm not dumping you, Kylie, I just…"

"It's fine. We broke our own rules, I get it." Kylie opened the door and let herself out. "I'll see you around, DiNozzo." She slammed the door behind her.

Anger bubbled deep in Tony's soul. He paced back and forth briefly, before grabbing a nearby glass and throwing it hard against the closed door. He took some solace in the sound of breaking glass, and sighed as what just happened sunk in.

What had he done?

A/N: Reviews, please!


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